Raynham's Gilmore Hall could house local museum

A group of town residents and elected officials are working to preserve the town's history by establishing a museum on the first floor of Gilmore Hall.

Tom Relihan The Enterprise TMRelihan_ENT

RAYNHAM – A group of Raynham residents again hope to revive plans to turn the first floor of Gilmore Hall on Broadway into a town history museum.

Selectman Marie Smith said the plan is to turn the unused first floor of the building into a museum space. It would be filled with displays of various photographs, documents and items that residents from around town have collected.

The idea for such a use for the space was first floated before town officials in 2012, when it was approved as the home of the Raynham Historical Commission, according to Enterprise archives.

The Gilmore family originally donated the 150-year-old hall to the town years ago for educational purposes. It has served as home to the town’s senior center, and has also held the Raynham Cemetery Department and the town’s Sealer of Weights and Measures.

The second floor has housed a church, and, currently, Lestyn Dance Studio.

The museum space would likely be equipped with both cabinets and display tables, Smith said.

“Some people have pictures of different areas of town, and there are a couple of gentlemen with a lot of things, but no place to put them that’s secure, so they don’t want to part with them,” she said. “Time will tell what we’ll get.”

Smith said the space needs only minor renovations, though it may need to be made handicapped-accessible.

She said a museum would be an important addition to the town to ensure there’s a way to celebrate and preserve its past.

“We had two silos down at the Borden Colony, and instead of getting fixed they were torn down. That could have been a little treasure,” she said. “How many kids even know what silos are? How many adults?”